The best part of waking up (insert foldgers jingle here)

is reading a new post up at Island Music.

Coffee Shops: The refuge of hipsters, debutantes, academics, and socialites alike. If you know me, you know that I've never been big on studying, let alone at coffee shops. I was never anti-coffee shops, I just never ventured out to chill there since I don't like coffee. But lately, I've been to quite a few of them, despite my non-coffee drinking ways. In the process, I've made a few observations for your reading enjoyment. So sit back, relax, shut the T.V off, and grab a cup of coffee as my hands attempt to keep up with the influx of coffee-related thoughts that are pouring out of my mind like milk from the teet of a cow.

1. Everytime I go to a coffee shop, I always think that coffee shops are unique and strange in the sense that people will go and pay 3 bucks for a drink, and then proceed to just camp out there for hours and hours on end. It's kind of strange when you think about it, really. I mean, everyday people go out to eat at nice restaurants with loved ones. They order food. They laugh. They tell stories, and in the end, they'll spend, at most, a few hours enjoying a nice dinner. On the other hand, people will go to coffee shops by themselves, pay 3 bucks for a drink (sometimes sandwich?) and will just chill there for the whole fucking day! What other business operates like this?! Gotta give props to the coffee shops, though, for creating nice and inviting environments that people are willing to hibernate in over warm beverages. I guess when it comes down to it, coffee shops are a function of their ambiance, and people will decide what shop to go to by what environment most suits them, and always remember that Wi-Fi is a must.

2. Scarf Man. In my limited coffe shop experience, I always seem to spot a dude with black rimmed glasses on a laptop. I call him scarf man for he is always wearing a tshirt whilst wearing a scarf -- over his t-shirt and indoors. Fascinating!

3. Maybe this is related to number 1, but it seems that it takes people forever to finish their drinks in coffee shops. Perhaps they need an excuse to hang out there for 8 plus hours?? Do people, outside of coffee shops, drink their coffee so slowly?

4. Studying. Seems like peeps go to coffee shops to study. This begs the question: Where is a better environment to study if you're in college? A locally owned (of course) coffee shop, or the undergrad library. Here is a breakdown, chock full of generalizations and stereotypes.

Girls: Hot, yet annoying, undergrads vs. girls who hate undergrads. Girls at coffee shops can be really hot, or really hairy. It's a jungle out there, remember.

Noise Level: If you need a lot of background noise, then hit up the library. If not, go for the beans. Coffee shops provide low-level chatter, and perhaps, some light music playing in the background.

Taste in Music: People in undergrad libraries enjoy popular music. People in coffee shops proably liked that same music until it became popular.

Food: Libraries have vending machines, and maybe, if you're lucky, a little bit more. Coffee shops usually have a vast array of beverages and sandwiches. Advantage, coffee shops.

Clothing: People wearing Abercrombie vs. people organizing boycotts of Abercrombie.

Politican Awareness: Social Justice minded coffee shoppers vs. girls discussing last weeks Greek social.

Blog Reading: Patrons at coffee shops and undergrad libraries always enjoy a new blogpost from Homer. Tie.

Ugg Boots: Undergrad libraries are saturated with girls discussing the latest in Ugg fashions. Go to a coffee shop and you can overhear girls saying "I'm gonna kill the next bitch I see wearing Uggs."

Bathroom writing: Coffee Shop bathrooms are clean with nothing amusing on the walls. Undergrad library bathrooms, however, are a nest of creativity. Clever poems. Tasteless jokes. Shocking drawings. Hey, who doesn't want some entertainment on the John?

Sports: Undergrad libraries have guys and girls talking about college football etc. Go to a coffee shop, and you'll hear guys deriding how sports are given too much of an emphasis in our male dominated society. Why, they ask, does everything have to be competitive? Can't everybody be a winner? Hey, where's my scarf? Ironically, the best athletes in a coffee shop are the women. (and dont give me flack for saying 'ironically", suckas)

Voting: People asking "What time is Nader speaking at?" vs. people asking "What's an election?"

The winner? That's for ya'll to decide in the comment section haha.